(Disney's) Got a Million Problems, But 'Woke' Ain't One

Somehow (an invitation, natch), Aaron Neuwirth returned. In a lengthy but dense Thanksgiving weekend wrap-up episode, the subject is, of course, Walt Disney’s Zootopia 2. The acclaimed and buzzy WDA sequel has thus far earned (counting its $7.5 million “second Thursday” in China) $170 million in North America, $315 million in China and $635 million worldwide. Beyond obvious “What went right?” and “Does the bonkers-bananas Chinese opening mean anything beyond a deep decade-long Zootopia fandom?” Lisa Laman discusses the disturbing circumstances in which the holiday weekend has just eight wide releases in play, and (be it correlation or causation), tentpoles like Zootopia 2 and Wicked For Good are taking up more screens and more showtimes per theater than ever before. Scott Mendelson agrees, noting that A) the kind of films that used to qualify as counterprogramming now barely exist at the theatrical level and B) Warner Bros., Disney, and Universal are essentially the only studios that “matter” in macro terms for the theatrical ecosystem, thereby improving their bargaining positions. Jeremy Fuster eventually unloads with two years’ worth of justified indignation, lashing out at Bob Iger’s semi-regular strawman arguments equating Disney’s early 2020s struggles with the “not a white guy” stories being told — often created by “not a white guy” filmmakers, no less. Trust me, I’d cue up the Independence Day theme music for the occasion. Aaron Neuwirth declares war on previous guest Ryan Scott for his harsh words directed at Godzilla: King of the Monsters. So, there’s a for-charity-bonus-episode if/when the time comes. As Jeremy notes, the unexpected 60-day window being afforded to Hamnet, Aaron discusses the complicated circumstances of successfully platforming well-liked but not necessarily crowdpleasing award-season fare. That’s just a sample — including Scott’s realization that The Housemaid could turn out to be a remake of Mary Poppins Returns — of the treats in store for those brave enough to press play on this uncommonly uncaged and feral episode of The Box Office Podcast.No recommended reading as I got caught up elsewhere, but if you like what you hear, That said, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria* Aaron Neuwirth - The Code is Zeek Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe